PREMIER DIVISION Holsworthy 0 Liskeard Athletic 2 THE Blues started their campaign in the new league aiming to go one better than last season's runners- up spot in the old Carlsberg South Western League, and began with a good win at Upcott Field over obdurate hosts. New manager John Clarkson was delighted with his side's showing as his new-look side settled into life in the new set-up with a winning start. 'While we've played some tremendous stuff in pre- season, today we kept a clean sheet in difficult conditions,' explained Clarkson, adding, 'not only that but this is my first opening-day win in five years, so I've got to be happy!' The only possible gripe for the Liskeard camp might be that, despite dominating the game, they had to wait until late on to score their second goal, but Clarkson remained upbeat. 'Holsworthy's a very difficult place to get a result, and on top of that, they had the man-of-the match in their goalkeeper Tom Blackler, so overall I'm delighted with this result,' argued the Blues boss. The siege on the home goal began almost from the first whistle, with Chris Wright, Leon Hapgood and James Miller, amongst others, being denied by Blackler. Liskeard finally took a deserved lead in the 35th minute, Hapgood finally forcing the ball over the line after Blackler had initially done well to parry Harry Richardson's vicious shot. Liskeard were not able to add to their tally before the break and were given something of a reminder that 1-0 is an awkward scoreline in the 55th minute when veteran Allen Clark flashed a drive just wide of the Blues' goal. As the pitch and weather conditions began to take their toll, the match became a little scrappier, though the Blues remained in almost total control. Blacker continued his one-man show, with the highlight being a stunning save on the hour to somehow keep out a Hapgood free-kick. With three minutes to go, however, Liskeard finally made the game safe, to the relief of their fans. Robbie Herrera sent over a free- kick that eventually fell to Dominic Richardson, who fired in a volley that defeated the best efforts of Blackler and defender Daniel O'Connor on the line. 'To be fair, at 1-0 the game was never completely safe, so it was a relief to score our second goal and put the match beyond doubt, but overall, to win was the all-important thing and we did that,' concluded Clarkson.
